Amid haunting visions of the 1988 crash, Booher has become an educator, basketball coach and tireless advocate against drunken driving. He says he has never touched alcohol.

“I had to go to 27 funerals in Radcliff,” he said. “ ... I knew my life was going to be shaped around this bus crash. So I could either respond positively or negatively.”

Today, he’s a 38-year-old assistant principal and basketball coach at Holmes High in Covington, Ky. He gives regular anti-DUI talks.

He cites the role his faith has played in helping him deal with the crash, and likes to highlight the good — from safer buses to stiffer laws on drinking and driving — that came from the tragedy.

After the crash, Booher played basketball in high school and attended the University of Kentucky. While there, he went on a blind date with fellow survivor Christy Pearman’s college roommate — and they eventually married.

After graduation, Booher began coaching and teaching, including working at Shelby Valley High School in Pikeville, Ky.. He and his teams often drive past the spot on Interstate 71 where a simple sign reads, “Site of fatal bus crash.“